Thursday, February 2, 2017

Shades of blue and a sofa story. . . . . . . .


blue day in February. . . . . some thoughts.

Productive January and February days are often thwarted by weather
 conditions which are not the most hospitable for doing outside chores.
Yesterday morning I did push myself to get out and fertilize the Spring flowering
 bulbs - their bright green tips are pushing up through the ground and leaf
cover. The day was lovely, mild and sunny, afternoon temperature reaching 68F.

 As I get older I find days at home in winter are often best spent indoors, but
 having time on my hands I admit to becoming somewhat lethargic. 
Looking around the cottage I find myself craving changes, some too huge to
 even give serious consideration to, so I store them in the ever burgeoning
 to do/wish list file folders. Others are more manageable and this past week I started
 to make a little headway.

I love these not too difficult to remove and then pull back on slip covers on
 the bedroom loveseat. I had them custom made some years
 back to disguise the no longer exciting striped upholstery, and I will probably
 keep them forever. The big cover and seat cushion I can
 wash and dry in my machines, no need for a laundromat visit.

Whereas, remember this post I wrote almost two years ago - gosh how time flies - 
about the exhausting Slip Cover Battles and thoughts on buying a new 
upholstered sofa.

But no, I've not replaced the sofa - this pic was taken several years ago - but I did
 replace the carpet with 'farmhouse' hard flooring, below, which I love so much.
 I continue look at sofas but just have a hard time buying a replacement for this one
 which is still good, comfortable (it's actually a Serta Hide-a-Bed), and the right size
 for the somewhat small room.
Personally I will only consider one made here in North Carolina, (once, and
 hopefully again some day, the biggest furniture manufacturing state in the USA),
 as it would be well built, beautiful, and not fall apart in a few years as some
 imports apparently do. However, it could cost as much as lovely cruise for two
 to some wonderful place on the planet!

I've been dreaming in indigo blue lately so have collected photos of beautiful
 blue sofas, usually in velvet, a fabric which seems to allow deep saturation of that
 gorgeous color. I've spent far too many hours online looking at sofas, e-mailing
 companies for advice, and finally choosing one whom I'd want to build my sofa
 here in North Carolina . . . . . . . actually just a couple of hours west on the highway.
But then I get cold feet! Indigo could never not be lovely, and it would work well in
the cottage, but it does seem to be the latest trendy color in decor. 
So perhaps I'd be happier with a beautiful neutral, a non trendy classic, which for me
 would be grey of course!
It would be a medium dark warmish grey, not too blue, not leaning toward beige,
 but similar to the velvet sofa in the center of the collage above . . . . . . 

. . . . . . or this tufted beauty above, I so love this style.

I could add touches of indigo blue, or most any other color, with pillows, throws etc.,
perhaps even an indigo accent chair.
Another option?
Details coming later when I tell you about the leap of faith I've taken this week. 
Stay tuned for more sofa stories.

Meanwhile, today I'm hanging out my Valentine flag, planning to get in the kitchen
 to bake a favorite prune, apple and brandy cake, doing some 'housecleaning' on the 
MacBook, and perhaps washing some dining room china. 
Sounds good to me.

Do you have special wintertime projects on your list?
Are you gradually checking them off?


14 comments:

  1. You gave me a laugh Mary with your 'folders' of ideas. I have them too, though rarely remember them. Furniture is not my forte as I dislike shopping for it. I'll pick out something then they won't have the fabric. Or I'll make the wrong decision. Now, if money was no object, I'd have no problem. I'd let the designer do it all. Furniture is right up there with shopping for cars. I don't know why. Does anyone know why cars and trucks have gone sky-high? I was looking online for a Suburban and $75,000? Not going to happen. I'll have to go back to a truck to haul stuff around. And, they've nearly doubled too.

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  2. Hello friend! Indigo is one of my favorite accent colors! It looks striking with neutrals. I can't wait to find out what you've got planned.
    Cheers,
    Loi
    PS - Our early daffies are coming up. And one of my snowdrops is blooming. Yay!!

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  3. That blue is such a beautiful color. I am sitting here twiddling my thumbs just waiting for the building of the house to begin.....

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  4. Oh I have lots of ideas, like you, in folders waiting to be tackled or for a fortune to fall in my lap. I was looking at some nice quality down cushioned sofa and chair sets at a local furniture store when they appeared in my Facebook newsfeed and got to dreaming about white slip covered furniture. At their prices I'll keep on dreaming. I guess I could get slips made by a seamstress for a much cheaper price though. I am curious to see what you're having made for a new sofa. It is lovely that your spring bulbs are starting to poke through the ground already. Our ground is frozen and snow covered although I think last year there were daffodils poking through in February as it was a mild winter. Take care.

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  5. Love the comment you made about being able to take a cruise for two, for the price of a new sofa, no need to ask then, that one is a no, no. have fun choosing, even if you don't buy one.

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  6. I use Pinterest to store my ideas in. Some of mine are quire outlandish too. Like buying a cottage on a deserted beach somewhere. I love indigo blue. It's an accent colour in one of our bedrooms. I do like the idea of that velvet indigo couch. Velvet anything sounds like. It's one of my preferred fabrics. Not sure whether it wears very well though.

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    Replies
    1. Silk velvets are delicate Loree, perhaps best left to chairs not sat on often, and evening gowns. But modern velvets made of cotton, rayon, polyester etc. are much more serviceable, though still probably not a fabric of choice if one has pets and children - and ours are all long gone! I'd like the kitty back but not the children, haha!
      A cottage on a beach sounds delightful - you're young so should keep it on your wish list - you never know!
      Mary -

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  7. Indigo is a beautiful colour and I really love it in accessories. And your little bird cushion is so pretty.I have always shied away from blues but for some odd reason I am now starting to be drawn to some. Your home is so lovely, Mary.

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  8. I'm jealous of your 68 degree weather already! It's still so cold here. Just looked at my phone and it's 6 degrees F. with the wind chill factor. "Funny" that you just wrote this post about staying in...I just wrote a post about escaping the house in this weather since we have cabin fever! ;-) Admittedly, I haven't worked on too many projects around the house at all except for little ones. I did clean out the bottom cabinet of my small china hutch and made two piles...one for donation and the other to take to my favorite vintage consignment shop. Now I just need to make a trip to Goodwill to drop everything off. I also have a couple of other bags of things for donation, too.

    I'll be interested in seeing what kind of sofa you get. We need a new one for our living room, but I'm not sure where to start. I'm not even sure what color I want...or style or size. I have a lot of homework to do beforehand. One thing that limits our choice is our cats. All three still have their claws, so the material we choose has to be smooth. The nubbier the material, the more the cats would use it as a scratching post. Though the material on the couch we have now is microfiber, and the cats still used the corners as a scratching post. :-( Amazon sells corner guards now to protect against kitty claws, so I would use those on a new sofa.

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  9. Oh I do love indigo! How beautiful it would be, but I am with you on the grey instead. Can't wait to hear what you do. Indigo accents would be amazing. Oh that old "to do" list. Mine hasn't changed much in the past few months. Today I did finalize much of a trip planned for May and another very short one the end of June. That feels oh so good. I am taking two photo class online and will be thrilled when one finishes in the next week or two, then I will be able to breathe more. The other is a year long class and doesn't take as much other than encouraging taking pictures. Happy crossing off of items on the "to do" list.

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  10. Oh Mary .... we have so many of the same things !!!! I have the exact same articulated santos doll, same cushions etc. etc !!!!!!
    I think that blue is going to be the new grey but grey is hanging on !! ... and, I am looking for a new sofa. We already have a grey button back but I want one like the one you have shown but with a curved back .... I can't find one !!!! Love all of your images and love your home. XXXX

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  11. Our house is in need of a re-do, but we are waiting until the Frenchies are here and settled!
    We have two large wing back chairs covered in a greyish navy slub linen years old and now tatty but I still love them! In the same room are two large rolled arm sofas covered in a beige. I have a collection of cushions in various fabrics that tie the whole thing together.
    My folders are bulging with pages torn from magazines and I'm constantly updating it!
    Your indigo sofas are lovely Mary but for me it's the grey fabric - it would sit in my room very well!
    ...then again a cruise for two on one of the Queens appeals to me even more these days, haha!
    Love
    Shane x

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  12. I like to plan projects - sometimes I do more planning than actual doing. Here in the Pacific Northwest I don't think grey would be a color we'd choose for a sofa. With our many grey, rainy days in the winter we need a cheerier color - and green is often one chosen. Sometimes we think of green as a neutral out here - as it surrounds us all year long, and does cheer things up on a cloudy day. I like touches of other colors tossed in here and there too - just to lighten our darker days of winter. Happy decorating my friend.

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  13. No winter lists, per se. We are already planning on summer though-- a summer English tea time that we've sent invites out for on FB. Id invite you and your hubs, but you know, a bit far. :)

    Love the hardwood floors you chose, btw.

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